Sun Dried Tomato and Balsamic Tapenade

I don't know about you, but I just love a great tapenade! Olive? Sun dried tomato? Artichoke? Garlic? Yes please!

Tapenade is an appetizer that is mainly based on pureed olives but can also consist of many other veggies. My favorite being sun dried tomatoes! It's usually served as an appetizer with bread or crackers.

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(Afternoon tea with the ladies)

My girlfriends and I frequent the Biltmore in Santa Barbara. Either for a mommys' night out, mommys' massages or for an afternoon tea. We love to spend our time at the luxurious Four Seasons. Maybe a stay-cation is in order?! Especially with my broken foot (see above.)

With every meal they serve the most decadent tapenade!

Honestly, they serve one of my favorite bread spreads ever. I sometimes lunch there just for the tasty spread! I, of course, had to have the recipe! Luckily the Executive Chef (Alessandro Cartumini) is extremely generous and kindly offered the recipe to me.

Thank you Alessandro for sharing this wonderful recipe with me and my readers!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/2 lb plum tomatoes in juice, drained
1 tablespoon garlic, roasted
1 tablespoon shallot, roasted
1/2 cup olive oil + more for drizzling
11 ounces dark balsamic vinegar (some may not like this much vinegar. I would add just a little and taste test as you go. You can always add more but can't take it away!)

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place the garlic and shallot on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and slow roast until caramelized (browning.)

Pour all ingredients in a food processor, blend until thoroughly combined, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Seriously girl could you be more gorgeous. Even with a broken foot you look amazing. It's so nice to have girl time. I am so in need of some pampering myself. I rarely get out to do it. I usually get out once a month for lunch with friends though, sometimes twice if I'm lucky. Very cool you scored such a great tapenade recipe. This looks so good. I am not a huge tomato fan but my hubs would eat oodles of this.

I am definitely making this recipe soon; this looks fabulous (as always)! What a great way to spend the afternoon with your girlfriends, how fun! I love those kind of days out with great food, conversation and a beautiful setting.

Hi! Well, since this was not MY recipe I wrote down exactly as was given to me via the Chef. I agree with you that I thought 11oz was a little excessive, so I only added about 7 oz in my recipe. I processed it in a food processor for a long while, until it came out as the picture looks. I must admit that I haven't tried this recipe with it's exact measurements, so I'm not sure how it would have come out. Once again, this was not my recipe so I didn't feel it would be right to change it. I hope this helps! Maybe try again and add just a little balsamic and add more as you taste test? As the saying goes "You can always add more but cannot take any away." :)

welcome + about me

Hi!! I'm Katie and welcome to my blog, Epicurean Mom! There are two things I love most in life; family and food ~ usually in that order. This blog is dedicated to both. My love of food started when I was young helping my mom in the kitchen. Now it's my turn to teach my daughters to experiment and enjoy the process of coming up with culinary creations of their own. [Read more...]